Actor Tom Alter and architect Dean D'Cruz launch Once Upon a Time in Aparanta in Mumbai
'Aparanta is a Goa Bachao Abhiyan book' —Dean D'Cruz 'The plight of Goa today reminds me of Mussoorie some years ago' —Tom Alter From Rachna Kalra <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mumbai, 29 September 2008: Once Upon a Time in Aparanta, the new novel by Sudeep Chakravarti, was released in Mumbai last Friday. The event was held at Crossword Kemps Corner on 26 September and attended by a mix of Crossword regulars and booklovers, among them Goans resident in Mumbai, and expatriates. The highlight of the launch was the reading from the novel by well-known theatre and film actor Tom Alter, and the presence of well-known architect and activist Dean D'Cruz. While Mr Alter kept the audience spellbound, Mr D'Cruz forcefully conveyed his thoughts about the present and likely future of the state in which Once Upon a Time in Aparanta is based. 'The present and future of Goa is under great pressure,' said Mr D'Cruz. He added, 'Politics and greed drives this pressure. Many of yesterday's small-time goons are today's leaders.' He thereafter elaborated on the vision of the Regional Plan 2021 and its portents for Goa, and the true purpose of the movement initiated by group Goa Bachao Abhiyan, of which he is a key participant. In this context, Mr D'Cruz lightheartedly called Once Upon a Time in Aparanta a 'Goa Bachao Abhiyan book', as the novel is set in the churn of present-day Goa. In a similar vein, he added, 'For me a good Goan is someone who has Goa in his heart, and by this yardstick, Sudeep is Goan.' Mr Alter, after reading from the novel, joined the discussion. He spoke passionately about Once Upon a Time in Aparanta representing the key thought that concerns a society in churn, as well as concerns of ecology and sustainable development. Mr Alter said Goa's plight reminds him of the time when his former home, Mussoorie, was 'under attack', and the hillsides on the way from Dehradun to Mussoorie 'totally denuded' by mines and quarries. A majority of these mines were pressured to close, he said, and public action has ensured strict zoning, building regulation and protection of greenery in Mussoorie. 'Not a single tree can now be cut down in Mussoorie,' Mr Alter said. 'And the hillsides between Dehradun and Mussourie are now green with trees.' The author agreed with these observations, stressing that his latest work of fiction is based on his learning of Goa largely from the people of Goa, and their thoughts, concerns and aspirations as conveyed to him in the course of two decades. 'Once Upon a Time in Aparanta is about Goa, certainly,' he said, 'But it goes beyond Goa, in that the novel questions the premise of "paradise" and conflicts and self-inflicted wounds that occur in such "paradises' by both the game of traveler roulette and the interests of business and politics.' Mr Chakravarti added, 'A reader can engage with this novel at several different levels.' He discounted the suggestion by the audience that some characters in the novel, such as that of the arch-villain, Winston Almeida, and that of Aparanta's overlord, Number One, are based on real-life characters. "It is up to the reader to interpret the novel and the characters in the way they wish. This is literary fiction with a message." Once Upon a Time in Aparanta is Chakravarti's third book. He is the author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed novel Tin Fish, and Red Sun:Travels in Naxalite Country, a major work of narrative non-fiction on present-day Maoist revolutionaries of India. All these books have been published by Penguin India. ***** For more information please contact Hemali Sodhi at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Rachna Kalra at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Penguin Books India 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017 Tel: 91 11 2649 4401; Fax: 91 11 2649 4403/ 04; Mob: 9899588545 www.penguinbooksindia.com